Airline Pilot Assessment: What It Is and How to Prepare
An airline pilot assessment is the selection process an airline uses to choose pilots from candidates who already meet its basic requirements. It usually combines tests, a simulator session and an interview. Because every airline defines its own process, this guide explains the common structure and a sensible way to prepare, and it always points you back to the airline's official announcement.
Stages you usually meet
- Application and document check against the airline's published requirements.
- Aptitude and psychometric tests: numerical, spatial, multitasking, memory, personality.
- A simulator session, often on a Boeing 737 or Airbus A320 type device, looking at handling, procedures, workload and communication.
- A competency-based interview and sometimes a technical or group exercise.
- A final decision and, depending on the airline, medical and background checks.
How to prepare, step by step
- Read the current official announcement first and list every requirement and stage.
- Refresh ATPL theory: instruments, performance, navigation, meteorology, air law.
- Practise aptitude tests regularly in short sessions instead of cramming.
- Rehearse competency-based interview answers about teamwork, decisions under pressure and mistakes you learned from.
- Train the simulator part on a similar type: manual handling, automation, standard calls, CRM.
- Do a full mock assessment close to the date and fix the weak points.
Common mistakes
- Preparing from old forum posts instead of the current announcement.
- Treating the simulator session as a test of type knowledge, when it is mostly a test of handling and behaviour.
- Leaving interview practice to the last day.
Where Sky Aviation and AviaCoach help
AviaCoach offers online preparation for tests, interviews and ATPL theory. Sky Academy offers simulator rehearsal on fixed-base Boeing 737NG and Airbus A320-200 devices with TRI/SFI instructors. The devices are not EASA or SHGM qualified and give no licence credit.
Our B737NG and A320-200 simulators are advanced fixed-base training devices. They are not EASA or SHGM qualified and are not an FNPT II. Sessions are supplementary support training and preparation; they do not count towards a licence issue, rating or renewal, and this is not a type rating course.
Sky Aviation does not offer entertainment or experience flights. Our sessions are for pilots and pilot candidates.
Prepare online as well
Practise theory, psychometric and interview questions at your own pace on AviaCoach, our online pilot training platform, then book simulator sessions here. AviaCoach: online preparation for airline assessments and ATPL theory
Related guides
- Turkish Airlines (THY) Pilot Assessment Preparation
- Pegasus Airlines Pilot Assessment Preparation
- AJet Pilot Assessment Preparation
- SunExpress Pilot Assessment Preparation
- Boeing 737NG Simulator in Istanbul
- Airbus A320-200 Simulator in Istanbul
- Corendon Airlines Pilot Assessment Preparation
- OPC/LPC Simulator Check Preparation for A320 and B737 Pilots in Istanbul
- Airbus A320 Pilot Assessment Preparation in Istanbul
- Boeing 737 Pilot Assessment Preparation in Istanbul
- THY, Pegasus, AJet and SunExpress Pilot Assessment: How to Compare
Frequently asked questions
How long should I prepare?
It depends on your background. Start from the date of the announcement, list the stages and work backwards; we help plan this after an initial session.
Is there a pass rate I can rely on?
Airlines do not publish reliable pass rates and we do not promise outcomes. Preparation improves readiness, it does not guarantee selection.
Do all airlines use the same stages?
No. Stages, tests and criteria differ between airlines and change between announcements.
Are your simulators EASA or SHGM qualified?
No. They are advanced fixed-base training devices, not EASA or SHGM qualified and not an FNPT II. Sessions are supplementary support training and preparation.
How do I book a session?
Call +90 (216) 651 23 76 (int. 5) or write to [email protected]. WhatsApp +90 (530) 261 72 73 is for messages only.
Contact the simulator desk
Simulator and Mollymawk desk: call +90 (216) 651 23 76 (int. 5). WhatsApp +90 (530) 261 72 73 (messages only, no calls). E-mail: [email protected].
Book a session